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Tuesday, December 24, 2013

While making breakfast recently, I turned on the radio. The
story: One year after the Newtown killings, still no answer as to ‘Why.’

I turn the radio off.

Sitting down to eat my oatmeal, I picked up the newspaper
and scan front-page stories: Ongoing water woes…the plight of the Florida black
bear…more reflections on the Newtown killings…

I put the front-page down and picked up the comics. I wanted
to feel good. I wanted to laugh. Comics will do that — at least a few of them
will.

It’s not that I’m opposed to hearing hard news. I want to
know what’s going on in the world. I want to be aware, to be informed. What I
don’t want, however, is to be inundated with bad news. I need inspiring tales
to balance the sad ones.

That’s why I often turn to nature. I’m never disappointed or
upset when I watch the sunrise or observe a sunset.

I’m not depressed when I
listen to an Eastern phoebe singing from its garden perch or follow a
butterfly’s flight from one blossom to another.

I know nature is not free from concerns. Climate change and
diminishing wildlife habitat are only two of the many problems besetting the
natural world. There are struggles and challenges, but rather than dwelling on
dangers ahead, I’d rather focus on what’s happening right now. As much as
possible, I want to be present and aware.

As this New Year approaches, I urge anyone seeking a refuge
from the day’s upsetting and stressful news to take a break by stepping
outside. You don’t have to live in the countryside to experience nature. You
don’t need any special gear. You can open a window and simply feel the breeze.
You can give your mind a rest and let your ears pick up the songs of birds,
insects and the wind rustling through trees.

If you decide to take a walk, you don’t have to go far.
There are treasures in your own backyard, in your neighborhood or town. As you
stroll down the sidewalk, look closely at the ground. Smell the flowers.
Observe the leaves. Gaze upward at the sky. Think back in time to how you used
to watch clouds as a child. Become that child again. Honor the mystery.

Moments of wonder are all around us. To make them appear,
all you have to do is be open to the beauty. Take time — make time — to be
aware of your surroundings.

Despite how upsetting so much of the news is, I’m not about
to stop reading the paper, listening to the radio, being on the computer or
watching TV. What I am going to do this New Year is expend less energy on the
negative while spending more time on the positive. If I can’t find happy
stories in the media, I’ll seek them on my own.

Monday, December 23, 2013

Yesterday, I watched three different kinds of bees fly from
one red blossom to another on the small patch of Florida tasselflower in the
front yard.

Florida tasselflower (Emilia fosbergii) is a weed. It’s also
a pollinator magnet. Butterflies, bees and wasps are drawn to this lowly member
of the aster family.

Even though most people consider this annual a nuisance, I
like tasselflower. It does pop up in lawns and garden beds — places where it is
usually unwelcome — but it also attracts important insects that aid plant
pollination.

Although one of its common names is Florida tasselflower
(other names include Flora’s paintbrush and Cupid’s shaving brush), Emilia
fosbergii isn’t a Florida native. Sources suggest it may have originated
in east or central Africa but quickly made its way around the world. It now
grows throughout the West Indies, Mexico and South America as well as in Hawaii
and parts of Indonesia. In Florida, it appears statewide except in the north
and the Panhandle.

I’m not sure when tasselflower found its way into my yard
but I remember taking note of it a few months ago. I was sitting outside
enjoying the sunlight bouncing off the lake when I noticed a queen monarch
butterfly landing on this thin-stemmed flower topped with several bristly red
blooms.

Several other blossoming plants grew nearby, but the butterfly ignored
them all, settling repeatedly on this single species, going from one red flower
to another. At the time, I didn’t know the plant’s name, but it was obviously
the butterfly’s favorite.

Since that day, I’ve learned much about the humble
tasselflower and paid attention to it whenever I see it. In doing so, I’ve been
amazed by how many butterflies, bees and wasps land on its blooms. The insects
come to sip nourishing nectar and, in the process, they do the essential work
of moving pollen from one plant to another.

Zebra longwing butterfly on tasselflower

Yet, despite the ability of this pretty little wildflower to
attract pollinators ­­— insects that are disappearing at an alarming rate —
most people want nothing to do with tasselflower. They want it out of their
yard, and they’re not averse to using herbicides to get the job done. After
all, they reason, tasselflower is a weed, not a grass. Sure, it’s colorful and
doesn’t have thorns or prickly burrs, but it grows taller than grass and that
makes a neat lawn look messy.

If the object is to have a weed-free, all-one-level, green-only lawn, I suppose the appearance of volunteer tasselflowers can mess things up. But so can the spraying of herbicides.

Wildlife that eat sprayed plants can be
poisoned or even killed by toxic chemicals. Other plants can be harmed by
over-spraying and runoff can have negative effects on groundwater.

It seems to me that if volunteer plants such as Florida
tasselflower can satisfy the needs of beneficial insects like bees, wasps and
butterflies, I should do my best to keep those flowers around. I may not live
on the neatest, most manicured property but that’s the way I like it.

Monday, December 16, 2013

Turning onto the paved road from my driveway, I wasn't
surprised to see a dead armadillo. In Florida, armadillos are one of the most
common victims of highway mortality.

I didn't think about the dead armadillo again until I was on
my way home and noticed a contingent of vultures surrounding the road kill. I
pulled over for a better look, which of course caused the wake — that's the
name for a group of feeding vultures — temporarily to disperse.

What I saw was almost nothing.

The animal's tough armored skin, long tail and clawed feet
remained, but its innards — all soft, edible parts — were completely gone. In
less than three hours, the vultures had not only scored a meal but also cleaned
up what would have become an unsightly, smelly mess.

Most of us don't think of vultures as emissaries of aid but,
really, that's what they are. These large, less-than-pretty birds are nature's
clean-up crew keeping our roads, yards and public spaces free from animal
remains. Vultures transform stinky decaying matter into life-sustaining
nourishment. If that doesn't earn them our thankful appreciation, I don't know
what will.

Vultures feed upon a wide range of recently killed animals

As I stared at the empty shell of what had only hours ago
been an active warm-blooded mammal, I was impressed by nature's efficiency. In
addition to vultures, numerous flies buzzed about, busy with their own form of
carcass decomposition.

Most people wouldn't give such a situation much thought.
After all, neither vultures nor armadillos are beloved animals. Armadillos are
despised because they dig holes in yards and burrow under structures. And
vultures? Well, they're ugly and eat carrion. What good are animals like these?

Armadillos aren't the most popular animals

The answer is, "very good." Despite the fact that
their beneficial acts generally go unnoticed and unappreciated, the work both
animals do make the world a better place for human inhabitants.

The pesky armadillo rooting through the Saint Augustine
grass isn't digging up lawn divots just to annoy people or for sport. It's
foraging for food. The comical looking, nearly blind armadillo picks up the
scent of ants, termites, beetles and lawn-damaging grubs, devouring them with a
voracious appetite.

Armadillos keep the insect world in check in much the same
way the ungainly vulture keeps decomposing matter under control. Both animals
help people by doing the dirty work of everyday life.

Wouldn't it be nice if people were as diligent at cleaning
up their messes as the animals we dismiss so casually?

Piles of litter mar the landscape along the same stretch of
county-maintained road where the bald-headed birds feasted on the unfortunate
armadillo. Remnants of meals carelessly tossed from car windows have come to
rest alongside used tires and construction detritus. Reminders of human
indifference dot the roadside like pocks on nature's face.

It took less than three hours for vultures to eliminate most
evidence of the armadillo's existence, but the litter along my quiet country
lane will remain indefinitely unless some Samaritan decides to take the time to
pick up the trash.

The process of carnage-hungry critters consuming a dead
animal is a marvel of the natural world, while tossed-aside trash along the roadside
merely exemplifies the blatant disconnect some people have from any life but
their own. It demonstrates disrespect and ignorance, along with a lack of
compassion and connectivity.

Vultures may be ugly, but humans can be stupid. We're also
not very good at cleaning up our own messes.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

A Simply Extra
I smelled it before I saw it...an emerging stinkhorn mushroom on the path around the lake.

Look close and you'll see a fly on the mushroom's gooey, black interior. The black goo is where the spores are. The stinkhorn emit a foul odor that attracts flies. As flies enter and poke about, they pick up spores eventually dispersing them elsewhere. It's an effective albeit odoriferous method of fungi reproduction.

Monday, December 9, 2013

I don't usually think of squirrels as particularly
noteworthy animals.

These ubiquitous rodents live in our trees, invade our
birdfeeders and annoy the heck out of gardeners. When they enter a house or
car, they can create a dangerous and costly mess by shredding insulation and
gnawing through wood and wires. I think of squirrels as rats with tails and
generally don't pay them much heed unless I'm scaring one off a fig tree or
porch screens.

The other day, however, I had a different kind of squirrel
encounter. More accurately, I encountered a different kind of squirrel.

It was midday and I was almost home from town when I pulled
off a dirt road to photograph a flock of bluebirds.

On one side of the road, a
small herd of cattle and a family of sandhill cranes were grazing an open
range. Across the road, a freshly-mown field abutted several acres of pines.

While trying to capture pictures of the colorful birds, I noticed movement in the field. Some
dark-colored animal was out there but was too far away to see clearly. I
pointed the lens at it and zoomed in for a closer look.

My camera revealed a bushy-tailed, black-faced, white-eared
Sherman's fox squirrel stretching up to get a better look at the odd-looking
creature watching from across the field. The squirrel's front paws — they
looked like white gloves over black arms — held an unidentifiable morsel. After
our mutual stare-down, she continued nibbling while I clicked away on my
camera.

I recognized the animal because I'd chanced upon a Sherman'sfox squirrel on two other occasions, both in the same general area. The first
time — before I even knew such a creature existed — I mistook the animal for a
weasel or mink, an easy mistake to make since they share similar body sizes,
shapes and colorings. Their very moniker hints of a similarity to foxes because
of their fox-like gait.

Weasel

Another reason Sherman's fox squirrels often go unrecognized
is their relative rarity. One of four subspecies of fox squirrels in the
Sunshine State, they live in open pinewoods with scattered oak trees in parts
of central and north-central Florida. Stands of longleaf pine cones and seeds
provide their main food sources, but they also eat fungi, fruit, flower buds
and acorns from turkey oak trees. They build their nests in oaks too, lining
the structures with leaves and moss. Sherman's fox squirrels reproduce in late
winter and mid-summer with a litter of two to three offspring each time.

Scientists estimate that more than 80-percent of the
species' native territory is gone — developed for commercial, agricultural or
residential use. Often territory is degraded by lack of fire, which is
necessary to control undergrowth.

While observing the female fox squirrel in my neighbor's
field, I found myself comparing her to the common grey squirrel. Although grey
squirrels are too ordinary to be special, they're admittedly cute, especially
when they stand upright on their rear haunches. Sherman's fox squirrels are
even more adorable because of their color and size.

Weighing in at two to three
pounds, these bushy-tailed beauties are up to three times heavier than grey
squirrels and about 10 inches longer. Their strong hind legs allow them to leap
longer distances, and they spend more time on the ground than their tree-loving
cousins.

My fox squirrel encounter was a memorable experience, and
I'm encouraged that, like the Florida scrub-jay, whose population is also in
decline, pockets of suitable habitat still exist in our region to sustain these
fascinating creatures.

It may be just a squirrel, an animal most of us consider
little more than a rodent pest, but there's nothing squirrelly about a species'
need to survive. I'm rooting for the Sherman's fox squirrel to be one of
nature's success stories.

Monday, December 2, 2013

Unlike most other avian species, this bold and beautiful
blue, grey and white-plumed bird is friendly to people — even though people are
responsible for the disappearing scrub-oak habitat it so desperately needs to
survive.

Because its habitat is so specific — dry, sandy upland with
minimal low-growing shrubs and scrub oak trees — the Florida scrub-jay is not
easy to find.

Outside Central Florida, you might not find it at all. The
Florida scrub-jay is endemic to fragmented segments of the mid-section of the
state, which means it is found there and nowhere else. It is the only endemic
bird in Florida and only one of 15 endemic bird species in the entire United
States.

Population estimates for this uncommon creature are in the range
of 4,000 to 6,000 adults but unfortunately, those numbers decrease annually.
Because of their declining status, Florida scrub-jays are listed as Vulnerable
by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and as Threatened under
the Endangered Species Act.

Living in South Lake County where several small
populations of Florida scrub-jays still exist, I have had the opportunity to
observe these rare birds on numerous occasions. Just the other day, I took one
of my favorite back roads home from Clermont specifically in the hope of stopping
to see and photograph some scrub-jays.

The route I took over Grassy Lake Road in Minneola is a
hilly, bumpy two lane through abandoned orange groves and rural homes set on
large acreage. It is land where at least one family of scrub-jays has lived for
several years. Another rare quality of the Florida scrub-jay is its strong
family ties. Considered "cooperative breeders," scrub-jay offspring
remain with their parents for at least a year to help raise the next brood and
to guard against predators by acting as sentinels from the top of scrub oaks.

At least for now, the birds that live along Grassy Lake Road
are safe. Despite bumps and curves, cars speed by, but the birds seem to have
adapted to the noise and fast-moving traffic. Most of the land where the birds
now dwell is slated for development. Thousands of homes and commercial
structures could be built where families of rare Florida scrub-jays now live.

Bruce and Cathy Brown, founders of the Florida Scrub-JayTrail in Clermont are trying to help. On Dec. 20-21 the Florida Scrub-Jay
Consortium , a not-for-profit corporation, is hosting its 3rd Annual Winterfair
to benefit the building fund for the development of the Florida Scrub-Jay
Treatment Center for injured songbirds and wildlife.

The family-fun event
includes horse-drawn wagon rides through the wilderness, kayaking,
paddleboarding and craft demonstrations.

There will also be wildlife shows, games, food, shopping
and a very special Friday evening concert by another rare bird — folk legend,
John Sebastian.

As excited as I am each time I see a Florida scrub-jay, I'm
equally thrilled at the opportunity to see John Sebastian perform in person.
Sebastian, founder of the group The Lovin' Spoonful, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in
2000.

Some of his most memorable hits include "Do You Believe in
Magic?", "Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind?" and (What a
day for a) "Daydream." In addition to singing, Sebastian also will
share stories of the early days of folk music and his performance at Woodstock. He'll explain how those
experiences affect his music.

Those of us who live in Central Florida are fortunate to
have the opportunity to observe Florida scrub-jays in the wild. However, with
opportunity comes responsibility. John Sebastian sings about 'believing in
magic,' but it takes more than magic to save a species. It takes commitment and
participation by the community at large as well as spreading the word with
others.

I've already bought my tickets to the Friday night concert
and hope you will too. If you come, please say hello. I'd love to see you
there.

Welcome!

Hi! I'm Sherry Boas. Thank you for visiting my blog. As a freelance writer, my work has appeared in numerous publications and my SIMPLY LIVING column ran as a weekly feature in the Orlando Sentinel for the 10 years between 2006 and 2017. You can find all my old columns on this site plus many other essays, poems, photographs and videos. Take time to explore and come back often. If you have a comment, question or simply want to say hello, please do! I look forward to hearing from you!

ROWING THROUGH THE MIST

SIMPLY WILD!

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